Simplifying Monitoring Systems to Lower Costs and Attract Tenants
Pearl River, New York
Electricity, steam, chilled water, domestic water, gas
Maintain tenant appeal despite rising operational costs and high interest rates
200-acre mixed-use campus, with ~2 million sf of lab, pharma manufacturing, office, and support buildings, including:
- 23,000-ton chilled water plant
- 23 MW of power generation
- 105,000 lb/hr steam loop
Background
A mere two years after the pandemic’s boom, the life sciences market has turned upside-down. Availability is skyrocketing, lease lengths and lease sizes are shrinking, with new developments still to come to market. Life sciences facilities now find themselves traversing a razor’s edge to attract tenants without operating themselves into the red. Despite these challenges, Class A lab buildings like the Hudson Valley iCampus still garner tenant demand. Formerly the headquarters of Pfizer, the 200-acre research campus, which is located 20 miles north of Manhattan, remains popular with tenants such as RK Pharma Inc., Allied Health Management Service Organization LLC, and Avon Products, Inc. Also, former owner Pfizer has leased back approximately 1.26 million square feet and retains and operates 507,263 square feet and 25 acres adjacent to the south side of the campus for research and development.
The Challenge
A large campus like Hudson Valley means large equipment and a large number of things to track and maintain. The campus had automation systems that monitored discrete areas, but nothing was cohesive. With no easy way to view the system both as a whole and in its parts, the on-site team was often unable to identify high-utility consumers or meaningful conservation measures.
The utiliVisor Solution
- Delta V data push to create holistic monitoring system, including three main chilled water plants, power plant, and a steam plant
- Submetering plan for the campus to improve cost allocation
- Real-time calculation of utility generation costs to optimize electricity production with real-time electric market prices
- Analysis of prospective tenant energy usage and potential impact on the operation of the central utility plant
Results
By using the site’s existing control system to push the data, utiliVisor was able to create an integrated remote-monitoring system that:
- provides accurate energy consumption data by service area,
- recovers more in tenant operating costs,
- pins down and prioritizes energy-conservation measures, and
- makes it easy for tenants to satisfy energy reporting mandates.
By making relatively small changes to monitoring and adding a sophisticated engineering partner to help with data analysis, IRG Realty realized savings of $2.2 million from 2018 to 2024.
Key Recommendations
- Use granular submetering data, not just BAS data, for a clearer picture of system and equipment health.
- Bring all your building data into one system to establish priorities for ECM initiatives.
- Regularly test meters and data collection systems to ensure quality data and insight for multiple uses: cost allocation, ESG reporting, plant optimization, and budgeting.
- Make sure your submetering partner is focused on all aspects of the submetering process, from meter selection and system design to installation and validation.
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About utiliVisor
Your tenant submetering and energy plant optimization services are an essential part of your operation. You deserve personalized energy insights from a team that knows buildings from the inside out, applies IoT technology and is energized by providing you with accurate data and energy optimization insights. When you need experience, expertise, and service, you need utiliVisor on your side, delivering consistent energy and cost-saving strategies to you. What more can our 45+ years of experience and historical data do for you? Call utiliVisor at 212-260-4800 or visit utilivisor.com